Half Crazy
by la periodista
Summary: Half human, half ghost, and half crazy. Danny finally kisses Sam, but what will happen to their platonic relationship? Inspired by the song of the same name. Tenth and final chapter added!
1. Chapter 1

**Note: this is based on the song "Half Crazy" by Musiq. I will post a link to the lyrics in my profile.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of its characters, nor do I own any of Musiq's songs or lyrics.**

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Danny Fenton slowly walked into Casper High, dragging his feet, wishing the day was over before it really even started. _She_ would be there in homeroom, and he was dreading every moment he had to spend with her. Not that he didn't like her; she was one of his best friends. But what worried him was that things had changed significantly as of late, and, unfortunately, probably not for the better.

The cause for his concern was Samantha Manson, or Sam. She, Danny, and their other best friend, techno-geek Tucker Foley, had been close ever since they first met in elementary school. They didn't care that the only PDA Tucker could brag about was one of his electronic leashes, or that Sam's family was loaded. They didn't even care that Danny had to abandon them once in awhile to play town hero for Amity Park. For Tucker was a whiz with electronics, Sam didn't have a materialistic bone in her body, and Danny, despite his secret, was still pretty modest. Anytime he displayed even the slightest hint of vanity, one of his best friends was sure to serve him a big piece of humble pie.

But everything was different now.

Okay, perhaps "everything" is a bit of an embellishment, but Danny knew there was no turning back from last Friday, when he had saved Casper High from yet another computer virus infestation, courtesy of the sudden reappearance of Technus. Sam had the misfortune of being in the computer lab when Technus attacked. Naturally, the first thing the ghost did was erase the memory on Tucker's PDAs, and, for good measure, erased Sam's term paper on the ethical questions surrounding frog dissection. However, thanks to a short battle, a Fenton thermos, and a backup copy saved on Tucker's laptop (which he had actually left at home that day), Technus was back in the Ghost Zone, and Sam was able to submit her work on time.

But more than a ghost attack happened on that day. _It_ happened. Danny and Sam kissed.

And now, both of them feel stuck between wanting to be together, but not wanting to 'fess up to their love for each other. And having three of their six classes together doesn't help any.

Danny arrived in class ten minutes before the first bell, early for the first, and probably last, time. He quickly walked to his desk, his head down the whole time in fear of making that awkward initial eye contact after the glory of the moment faded. Kissing was nothing new to either of them, yet having that intimacy with each other was something completely different.

Danny slid into his seat, took out his books, and actually began to study, another first for him. In his case, studying was typically reserved for tests or to appease his family. Although he tried to engross himself in his European History textbook, somehow the history of Latvia didn't hold his attention. He found himself watching the door for Sam's arrival; usually it was the other way around.

A moment later, Sam slinked into the room. Something seemed different about her. The front pieces of her raven hair, usually pinned back at the crown, had been cut into wispy, yet stylish bangs. Her violet eyes popped in contrast to soft green eye shadow, her cheeks bore a pinkish flush, and her usual purple lipstick was replaced by a cherry red. Even her outfit was different- her cropped black tank top and plaid miniskirt had been abandoned in favor of jeans and a black camisole. And her trademark combat books were not clunking heavily on the linoleum floor, having been replaced by purple flip-flops.

"Hey, Danny!" she greeted him, taking her seat a couple aisles over.

"Sam!" Danny breathed, wondering how this beautiful creature could possibly be the same Goth girl that he had rescued on Friday.

"What's the matter, Fenton? You look like you've seen a ghost," she quipped.

This reminded Danny of another dimension to their platonic-despite-knowing-they-love-one-another relationship. It was Sam that made him the way he was- half-boy, half-ghost.

Danny's parents had been hunting ghosts since college and had set up a lab in the family basement. On one particular afternoon, Danny decided to give Sam and Tucker a tour of the lab, on Tucker's insistence that he only wanted to look at it in hopes of some inspiration for a paper for his technology course. As usual, stupidity followed the trio, led by Sam, who had temporarily abandoned her role as the group's voice of reason. To make a long story short, Danny Fenton entered his parent's newest invention on a dare from Sam, went through some crazy genetic mutation, and emerged for the first time as his ghostly counterpart, Danny Phantom.

Danny Phantom, or Invisi-Bill, as the residents of Amity Park have come to call him, spends his time fighting escapees from the Ghost Zone. When he returns to his human form, Danny Fenton, he goes back to being a fourteen-year-old boy with raging hormones, crushing on the most popular girl in school while trying to move beyond his status as one of the most bullied students at Casper High.

As the second bell rings a moment later, Danny snaps out of his almost-hypnotic state. He turns his attention to the board, thankful that the teacher arranged the class in alphabetical order, allowing some distance between him and Sam, making it that much easier to ignore her for the time being. The trouble is, deep down, he doesn't want to ignore her, no matter how awkward the situation. He wants to turn the two of them intangible, and spirit her away to some secret place to profess his love for her.

However, as the day wore on, it seemed clear to Danny that Sam wanted anything but to become romantically involved with him. And he wasn't sure whether to be pleased or pissed off by that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Thanks to the people that have reviewed my story/set alerts for it. I know the first part was a bit confusing at times, but bear with me, and I promise things will eventually make sense.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or its characters, nor do I own any of Musiq's... well... music.**

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"Mr. Fenton, are you quite finished daydreaming!" proclaimed his last-period instructor, Mr. Lancer, after catching Danny staring at Sam... again.

"Uh, yes, yes!" Danny insisted, warping back into reality. But as the teacher droned on about some British author, Danny couldn't help but wonder about Sam's behavior throughout the day. He tore a blank piece of paper from his binder and, acting like he was taking lecture notes, instead catalogued all he'd observed about Sam since that morning.

_1. Came to school dressed like a "typical" teenage girl, with "normal" makeup and a trendy outfit._

_2. Made a joke at my expense, but with a smile on her face and a peppy voice replacing her usual sarcastic tone._

_3. Didn't tease Tucker about his PDA or his crush on Valerie._

_4. Actually stayed quiet when dissection was brought up in science, instead of jumping into her whole dissection-is-inhumane spiel._

After writing down his observations, Danny made another list, one of possible causes.

_1. Her parents threatened to do something if she didn't abandon her Goth ways permanently._

_2. She's trying to play games with me._

_3. She's doing some wacky experiment for a TV show or something._

_4. She's just expressing something that was inside her all along._

As if sensing that Mr. Lancer was glaring at him, Danny quickly folded up the paper and shoved it into his pocket. A few minutes later, the bell rang, signaling the end of school for the day. Danny gathered his things and walked to the door, only to be stopped by Sam grabbing his arm.

"What's the rush for, Danny? Got someplace special to be?"

"Uh, no, Sam, I just want to get out of here. You know how I hate staying at school any longer than necessary," Danny responded, feeling his face turn crimson.

"Oh, please, call me Samantha. Sam sounds so... masculine."

Now Danny knew something was wrong. Even her parents didn't call her Samantha, unless she was in serious trouble. "Um, Samantha, is there a reason we're still here? Shouldn't we be meeting up with Tucker or something?"

"Yes, but what's the hurry? He's probably busy squiring after Valerie anyway. Besides, I want to talk to you about, you know... Friday."

"What's there to talk about?" Danny found himself inquiring. _Oh crap... that totally opened the door for her to insult me, _he thought.

But she didn't. She actually laughed. "Oh, Danny, don't be silly! You know exactly what I'm referring to! Our kiss, remember! It was so passionate."

"Sam- err, uh, Samantha, must we talk about this here!" Danny huffed as he heard people walking by and giggling.

"No, of course not. How about we meet in the park in thirty minutes? I need time to freshen up."

"Uh, sure, whatever," Danny said, more confused than ever.

Sam finally let go of his arm, and he rushed off to find Tucker, only to run into his archenemy in the mortal world, Dash Baxter, the big man (and big bully) on campus.

"Hey, watch it, Fentonio!" Dash exclaimed, clenching his hand into a fist.

"Oh, sorry Dash," Danny said, ducking just in time to avoid a black eye and continuing down the hall. Breathless, he stopped on the front steps of the school to compose himself and spotted Tucker waiting for him under one of the trees.

"Where's Sam?" Tucker quizzed him, walking over to the bottom of the steps.

"It's Samantha now," Danny corrected him. "She said she'll meet me in the park in half an hour- something about freshening up."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Dude, what is up with her! She went from, like, Goth to girly-girl in virtually no time flat. You should have offered to meet her at the clinic instead so she could have her head checked."

"Yeah, well, too late now," Danny said, still trying to catch his breath.

Meanwhile...

Sam headed to the restroom on the first floor, grinning the whole way as she thought about how flustered Danny had become when she mentioned their kiss. As she looked into the mirror, a weird feeling overcame her. The next thing she knew, some mysterious figure had phased out of her, and now stood before her, donning a leather jacket and miniskirt.

"Kitty!" the girl muttered in surprise.

"Yes, that's right, Samantha. I've come back to find your boyfriend again and get him to fall in love with me, and this time for good. No more messing with that loser Johnny."

"Danny is not my boyfriend!" Sam proclaimed.

"Good, then that will make it even easier to manipulate him. The easy part's over- he's already fallen in love with you. By the time he realizes that I was overshadowing you the whole time, it will be too late."

Kitty pushed Sam back against the wall, the girl's head striking the edge, knocking her out cold. With a maniacal laugh, she turned intangible and phased through the restroom wall, leaving Sam in a heap on the floor.

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**Please read and review! Thanks in advance!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: Thanks again to all my reviewers. Your feedback is always much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, nor any of its characters. I also do not own any of Musiq's work.**

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Danny sat impatiently on a park bench, checking his watch repeatedly and wondering what could have become of Sam.

"This is really stupid," he whined to Tucker for about the tenth time in the last five minutes. "She was supposed to be here awhile ago. She seemed so eager to meet up with me and discuss our kiss, and so now what does she do? I'll tell you what she does- she leaves me hanging!"

"Dude, calm down," Tucker responded. "You know how Sam is. She was probably on her way here and got caught up in some protest against testing on animals or something. You seriously need to take a chill pill."

As Tucker tried to calm him down, Danny suddenly felt a drop in temperature, accompanied by a telltale icy-blue gas emerging from his mouth as he exhaled. He craned his neck to see what was responsible for triggering his ghost sense and noticed a ghastly green figure in his peripheral vision, sailing through the blue skies.

"Oh, no, not again!" he muttered under his breath as he recognized the ghost. Looking around to make sure no one but Tucker was around, he stood up fast and took shelter behind a bush. "I'm going ghost!" he cried, and, with that, morphed into Danny Phantom.

He took to the skies and began to trail the ghost. Sensing that she was being followed, Kitty turned to him and smiled seductively. "Ah, yes, so we meet again," she said with feigned sweetness.

"You told me that you would always be with Johnny," Danny reminded her, thinking back to when she had overshadowed his crush, Paulina, making her become his girlfriend temporarily.

"Oh, so I did. Well, you see, you of all people should know how fickle adolescents can be. Johnny couldn't stop his womanizing ways- he even had the nerve to start dating that untalented excuse for a musician, Ember McClain, behind my back. So I left him-and the Ghost Zone-forever. Which means today is your lucky day, for I have come back for you."

"Well, you wasted your time! You would've been much happier with Johnny; one cheater deserves another!"

The two were now standing on the ground. Danny powered up a ball of ectoplasm and hit her, with enough force to knock her backwards against a tree. Shaking off her temporary paralysis, she managed to phase through the tree and materialize back into tangible form.

"You will be mine!" she insisted, flying off into the afternoon sky. Danny searched frantically for the Fenton Thermos, but was unable to locate it and did not have time to get another one from the basement in his family's home. He was forced to let Kitty go, for the time being anyway.

"How could she have been hiding out from me all this time!" he exclaimed, realizing that Kitty was flying in the direction of the school. He watched in anger as she phased through a wall towards the back of the main building, disappearing from his sight as quickly as she had entered it.

Not wanting to draw a crowd, Danny decided it would be safer if he reverted back to his human form before investigating. He and Tucker ran to the school, but could find no trace of Kitty. As they scoured the library, Sam suddenly appeared out of nowhere, taking them completely by surprise.

"Samantha, are you alright?" Danny asked, noticing the goose egg that had formed near her left temple as a result of her confrontation with Kitty.

"I'm... fine..." she mumbled in a shaky voice, walking dizzily towards him and Tucker. When she was just a few steps away, she again lost consciousness, and Danny managed to catch her as she fell forward in a faint.

"Tucker, go get the nurse!" Danny shouted, picking up Sam and laying her gingerly on top of one of the large tables, too scared to carry her to the health office at the other end of the school.

"But Danny, you know how I feel about-"

"JUST GO!" Danny screeched, interrupting Tucker's protest about having to be anywhere near any sort of healthcare facility.

Sam began to stir as Danny stared at her intently, willing her to return to consciousness. Her eyes opened, and she started to sit up, but he commanded her to lie still.

"What happened, Danny?" she asked, blinking several times in an effort to refocus her vision.

"Shhh, we'll talk about it later. Just relax for now; the nurse should be here any moment."

As if on cue, the school nurse came bustling in, followed by a pale Tucker and a concerned Mr. Lancer. The two adults crowded around Sam as Danny led Tucker to a chair in the corner of the library to sit down and regain his composure. They watched as the nurse checked Sam's breathing and felt her pulse, then proceeded to examine the large bump on her head.

"She'll be fine," the nurse proclaimed a moment later. "She just has a big bump on her head, which is nothing that a few days' bed rest can't mend. However, I suggest one of you call her parents and have them take her to the hospital, for precautionary reasons. Perhaps they can better determine how she sustained her injury."

The nurse waited with Sam while Mr. Lancer contacted Mr. and Mrs. Manson, and they elected to have their daughter transported by ambulance to the emergency room, where they would meet up with her. Danny insisted on accompanying Sam, as the adults had to get back to work, and Tucker and hospitals don't mesh well. As they traveled to the hospital, Danny tried to help Sam relax as much as possible, assuring her that he wouldn't leave her side.

Upon their arrival, however, he had to leave, as her parents would hear nothing of him staying with her, feeling he was a bad influence. Regretfully, Danny went home, only to be confronted by his parents for being late. As he listened to another one of his father's pointless lectures, his thoughts went back to Sam, wondering how she had sustained her injury. What really befuddled him is that when she had regained consciousness, she seemed more like her old self, as if the way she had acted earlier in the day was the result of some trip to an alternate universe that turned out to be all in her mind.

After his father finally stopped getting on his case, Danny stole upstairs to his room, waiting by the phone for any sort of news about Sam. As he passed the time, he decided to fire up his computer and play games, in hopes of getting his mind off all his troubles, if only for a few minutes. Tucker was also online, and the two started chatting about all the strange events for the day. In the middle of the conversation, the phone rang, and Danny dove for it.

"Hello? Yes. Yes. I see. I'll be right there," he said, hanging up and quickly saying good-bye to Tucker before turning off his computer. "I'm going to the hospital to visit Sam!" he called out to no one in particular as he hurried down the stairs and out the front door.

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**Thanks in advance for reading and reviewing:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who posted a review. I know I said from the outset that I didn't anticipate the story being very long, thinking only two or three chapters would be sufficient. However, here I am at chapter four. I wouldn't say that I lied about it being really short, as it was unintentional- I prefer to think about it as accidental story length underestimation. :)**

**Oh, and in addition, I will refer back to the song on which this is based in later chapters.**

**And, as always, I must remind readers of my disclaimer: I do not ownany ofMusiq's songs or lyrics.Nor do I own Danny Phantom, nor any of its characters.**

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Danny arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, out of breath. He took a moment to regroup before walking over to the reception area.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Dr. Williams. He called and said he wanted to speak to me about my friend, Samantha Manson."

"Are you Mr. Fenton?"

"Yes."

"Right this way please."

Danny followed the nurse down a long corridor, until they finally reached the last room on the right. The nurse knocked softly, although the door was open, then announced Danny's arrival.

Upon hearing his name, a rather weak Sam managed to turn towards him and lock her violet eyes with his baby blues. They need not speak a word between them for Danny to sense the pain through which she'd been as the doctors poked and prodded her earlier that afternoon, attempting to determine the cause of her injury.

Just as Danny was acknowledging Sam with his intense gaze, the doctor arose from a chair at her bedside and introduced himself, then asked to speak with the young man out in the hall, leaving Sam with the nurse to watch over her. Her parents had already gone home, as the doctor had insisted that there was no need for them to stay the night with their daughter, for her prognosis was good, and he would call if there were any changes for the worse.

"You wanted to see me, doctor?"

"Yes, Mr. Fenton. Ms. Manson has been conscious for awhile and is coherent enough to talk about what happened, but I wanted someone to corroborate her story, as she seems to be rambling on about being attacked in a restroom by some mysterious creature that had possessed her body. Since the only details I have so far have been from her, I am recommending she stay under observation for an additional 72 hours, ample time for a psychological evaluation."

Danny instantly felt like he had been backed into a corner; how could he prove that Sam was perfectly sane without coming off as mentally ill himself? He took a series of deep breaths, stalling for time as he formulated an explanation.

"Well, doctor, I was not there when she was injured, only when she collapsed. For all I know, she could've lost consciousness prior to that, when I wasn't there. She's been acting kind of mysterious all day, and at first I couldn't figure out why. But now that I think about it, it's probably just stress- our first year of high school will be ending in a few weeks, and she's had to worry about a final and a term paper in every one of her classes. Plus her parents are always getting on her case, trying to make her into something she's not."

Danny hoped his explanation was sufficient to convince the doctor that Sam was mentally sound. And, fortunately, he got his way, as the doctor announced that if something else developed to indicate mental illness, he would keep her behind for more testing, but otherwise she would be able to leave in the morning. With that, he checked on his patient one last time before going to the hospital cafeteria for a coffee break.

After noting Sam's vitals one last time, the nurse returned to the reception area, leaving Danny and Sam alone together in the hospital room.

"How are you feeling?" Danny asked Sam, taking a seat in a corner of the room, diagonal from her bed.

"Alright I guess, but I have a horrible headache."

"Well, that's to be expected, considering you have a huge bump on your head," Danny reminded her. "Do you remember how you got it?"

"Not really... I just remember seeing some glowing green figure in a leather jacket and miniskirt... phasing out of my body! She must have overshadowed me! Yes, in fact, I'm starting to remember it more clearly now. I recall being in the girls' restroom on the first floor, looking in the mirror, when suddenly its as if my reflection morphed into something else Then she stood before me, and I think she said some stuff about making you fall in love with her. The next thing I knew, she was gone, and I was regaining consciousness."

"Who did this to you, Sam? You say her, but that could mean a lot of people. Who is this person?"

Danny could see that Sam's eyes were closing due to pure exhaustion, but he tried to get an answer out of her, to no avail. As he could see that she was tired, he finally gave up and decided to return home, having not quite gleaned the information he sought. He said good night to Sam, and, as if on cue, a nurse came in to announce that visiting hours had ended. Danny squeezed Sam's hand encouragingly before taking his leave for the night.

On his way home, Danny stopped at Tucker's house to relate to him what he knew. Tucker invited him to stay the night, so Danny went home to ask for permission, then pack his things. Surprisingly, his parents let him go- despite it being a school night- for they knew that Sam's stay in the hospital, however temporary, was stressing Danny out, and he needed to relax and enjoy himself. They also knew that, despite being quite the mischief-maker himself, Tucker would somehow make Danny tow the line.

After gathering his things, Danny bid good night to his family and walked back to Tucker's house. His friend met him at the door, a look of worry creasing his face.

"Dude, you are not going to like this," he said as they went inside. Danny followed him down the hall to his bedroom/computer lab, where Tucker pointed out something on one of his PDAs.

"What is it, man? Oh, shit... not again."

"I'm afraid so, Danny. I've been tracing her spectral energy since I got home this afternoon, and it looks like she arrived at the hospital just after you left."

With a sudden burst of energy due to his anger, Danny started to utter his battle cry, but Tucker interrupted him mid-sentence. "Danny, wait. You can't just go charging in there as Invisi-Bill. As long as Sam is in the hospital, she'll be safe."

"Did you just say that she'd be safe in a hospital?" Danny observed, managing to get in a quick joke at Tucker's expense. "Anyway, I hate to admit it, Tuck, but you're right. But promise me that we can visit her first thing tomorrow, and don't let me lose or forget the Fenton Thermos this time. In fact, maybe we should stock up tomorrow on any ghost-fighting weapons we know how to use. Kitty is a master manipulator, and I don't want to take any chances."

"You know I have your back, man."

The two buddies shook hands, then readied themselves for bed, their thoughts on the long day awaiting them.

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**Thanks in advance for reviewing.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, everyone, welcome to chapter five. Thank you to all my readers. And to my reviewers, your feedback is always much appreciated, so thanks.**

**I'm sure some of you are wondering why Sam and Danny kissed, so just keep in mind Kitty's role in the story, and you should figure it out. I'm also planning to explain the circumstances surrounding the kiss more in-depthin a later chapter, most likely the next one, so please be patient.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the following: Danny Phantom or any of its characters; any of Musiq's songs or lyrics; _James and the Giant Peach_, any of its characters, or any of Roald Dahl's other works.**

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Danny awoke several times throughout the night, his worry for Sam keeping him from sleeping for long periods at a time. He finally got up around 4:30 and started to get dressed. He seriously pondered becoming his ghost self and going to visit Sam, but he feared being caught. Plus he didn't want to disrupt her sleep, as he knew she would need a lot of rest in the coming days.

Tucker got up when the alarm went off at 6:00 and found Danny downstairs at the kitchen table, staring out the window, a bowl of half-eaten, soggy cereal sitting in front of him. Getting his own breakfast, he sat next to Danny, who either didn't notice him or didn't acknowledge it. After a moment of silence, Tucker finally spoke.

"So, Danny, what's the plan? I'm assuming Sam is still supposed to be released today."

"I don't know, Tuck. For the first time in awhile, I really have no idea how to pursue this. Last time Kitty showed up in our world, she was overshadowing Paulina and making her flirt with me. Wait-Tucker, that's it! That's why Sam was acting so weird! Kitty must've been overshadowing her."

"That certainly explains why she was dressed like a popular girl, and why we saw Kitty phase through the wall into school. But if that's so, why didn't she trip your ghost sense when you were around Sam?"

"I don't know, Tuck. Maybe I didn't notice, but that seems illogical because surely I would've noticed the temperature drop, or seen my breath. She must have figured out a way to disguise her spectral energy. You know, now that I think about it, when she overshadowed Paulina, I couldn't sense her. It must be that when she overshadows someone, her ghost form is completely disguised by the human form. And she's had a lot more practice than I have- when I overshadow someone, my voice can still be heard, but she speaks in the voice of the human. No wonder I didn't pick up on her when she was posing as Paulina."

"Do you think she'll try to pose as Sam at the hospital?"

"She might, but if her behavior lately is any indication, she's too smart for that. With Jazz working as an orderly, I doubt she'd show up there and risk running into the person that she used as a pawn to get out of the Ghost Zone the first time. Although I wouldn't put it past her to overshadow Sam again once she gets out of the hospital, and, in that case, we'll just have to catch her in the act. Until then, we can't let her know that we've caught on to her. We have to turn her power of persuasion against her. And I know of just the way to do that."

"No way, Danny. We can't let Johnny out of the Ghost Zone."

"But we have to, Tuck. I don't want to do it either, but the only way to get to Kitty is to take advantage of her love/hate relationship with Johnny. Eventually she'll get sick of being jealous and decide to take him back."

"But didn't she say that he's dating Ember now?"

"Oh, please, Tucker. When it comes to love, the only being more fickle than a teenager is the ghost of one. Johnny and Ember will get bored with each other soon enough, and Johnny will go back to Kitty again, begging for forgiveness. And Kitty may be a master manipulator, but she's a sucker for Johnny's proclamations of love and commitment."

"Yeah, but how do we know Johnny will cooperate with us?"

"Don't worry, he will once he hears about what Kitty's been doing. And if not, I could always overshadow you and make you pretend to fall in love with her."

"Oh, no, that's where I draw the line. I'd like to be in charge of my own dating destiny, thank you."

"Yeah, I guess I wouldn't want to mess up your stellar relationship record or anything," Danny quipped, grinning.

"Hey, man, that was low," Tucker said, playfully punching his friend's arm.

During their lunch break, Danny and Tucker called the hospital, and the nurse told them that Sam had just been released. They thought about calling her at home, but weren't in the mood for being lectured by her parents for interrupting her "rest period."

When Danny turned on his cell phone after class, he discovered that he had a text message from Sam, begging him and Tucker to come visit before her parents drove her to insanity. The two headed straight to her house with a bundle of get-well cards from her teachers. Upon arrival, they were relieved when her grandmother answered the door, greeting them with a warm smile.

"She's in the entertainment room, watching some black-and-white horror movies," the family matriarch informed them. "And don't worry- the Uptight Ones just left for work," she added with a wink, referring to Sam's parents.

Danny and Tucker went down a long corridor to the huge indoor theater and found Sam sprawled across a couch, watching a vampire movie and snacking on popcorn. She heard them come in and paused the movie.

"It's about time you two got here," she said, offering them some popcorn. "What took you so long?"

"Mr. Lancer freaked when he read Tucker's term paper on _James and the Giant Peach_, and made the whole class stay behind and listen to his lecture on finding appropriate research topics and clearing them with him first."

"Hey, he said it was okay for me to research how literature portrays the psychological implications of an orphaned child taken in by other family members," Tucker defended himself. "He never said that I couldn't use an elementary-level book to back up my claims."

"Yeah, whatever guys," Sam said. "So what's with all the envelopes?"

"From the teachers," Tucker explained as he handed the stack of cards to her.

Sam set the cards aside and turned off the movie projector. Tucker and Danny sat on another couch and listened as she griped about the hospital and how her parents had been treating her, especially since she got released, wishing that the visiting hours applied to her at home as well. As she related what the doctor told her about her injury and all the things she'd disclosed when asked how it occurred, Danny and Tucker exchanged glances, wondering if they should tell her.

"Come on, guys, what are you hiding?" she inquired, noticing their faces.

Danny took a deep breath. "We think we know how you were injured, and why you were acting the way you did beforehand. Let me just start off by saying that you weren't crazy."

"You mean..." Sam's voice trailed off as she realized that what she'd observed before being knocked unconscious wasn't a figment of her imagination.

"Unfortunately yes. And it seems that in order to stop her, we'll have to get some... outside help."

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**Thanks in advance for reading and reviewing. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to all my reviewers- if it weren't for all of you, I either would cease writing the story or not update it nearly as often. But the nice comments and constructive criticism have inspired me to try to post at least a chapter a day, sometimes two.**

**The story is starting to wind down a bit, and I expect to cut it off at ten chapters at the most, although that could of course change in the near future.**

**Disclaimer: I'm sure all of you have this memorized by now, but I'll put it anyway. I do not own Danny Phantom or its characters. Nor do I own Musiq's songs or lyrics.**

**Without further ado, here is the next chapter.

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Danny got home just in time for dinner. After he ate, he went down to the basement and prepared to enter the Ghost Zone through the portal there. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the button, and the doors slid open to reveal a swirling mass of ectoplasm. He changed into Danny Phantom and entered, the doors closing behind him.**

As he floated along, Danny was on constant alert, as he was the most wanted "criminal" in the Ghost Zone. However, many of the ghosts were still willing to help him, pointing him in the direction of Johnny's home. Danny found Johnny tinkering with his motorcycle.

"You!" Johnny shouted. "What are you doing here! You already stole my girl; what else do you want from me?"

"I didn't steal any girl from you, not intentionally anyway. I came to ask you to take Kitty back, because she escaped again and overshadowed my best friend."

"And why should I give a damn?"

"Because you still love her. I know you do. And the only way to get her back into the Ghost Zone is for you to convince her to return. She still loves you, too, you know."

"So what? I've moved on; it's not my fault she won't."

"You seriously don't get it, do you? She's using my best friend to get to me and make you jealous, just like she did with Paulina. And if you don't talk to her soon, you may lose her forever."

This last comment peaked Johnny's interest. "What are you talking about, loser? You love her or something?"

"No, but my other best friend has been particularly enjoying her company lately. If I were you, I'd come get her right away, before it's too late."

"Fine, fine, whatever. But don't think for a moment I'm doing it for you. I'm only doing it because I love Kitty, and I'm tired of that Ember chick."

"Yeah, okay, just get on with it already. The sooner you find her, the better."

With that, Danny Phantom returned to the portal and existed the Ghost Zone, hoping that he'd gotten through to Johnny. He returned to human form and went upstairs to his room to actually do his homework. As he was reading a short story for English, his cell phone rang, interrupting his thought process.

"Now what?" he sighed, but his annoyance melted away when the caller ID revealed it was Sam. "Hey, Sam, what's up? I thought you were in bed for the night."

"I couldn't sleep. I was too busy worrying about... you know what."

"Well, I think I made him see the light, so don't worry. In fact, by this time tomorrow, things should be back to normal, whatever that is," Danny acknowledged. "Now you know it is past your bedtime, young lady. You need a good night's sleep if you expect to get well," he teased.

"Yes, father," Sam replied sarcastically, clearly feeling much more like her old self. "Good night."

"Good night."

_Sam watched in awe as Danny Phantom once again sucked Technus into the Fenton Thermos. But she quickly came back to reality when she gazed at the computer screen before her and realized that her paper had been erased._

"_Shit," she muttered under her breath, forgetting for a moment that she had stored a copy on Tucker's laptop, just in case. Fortunately, he had left it at home that day, for whatever reason, so it had been spared from the complete erasure of files. Unfortunately, many of his other electronics hadn't been so lucky._

_Putting away the thermos, Danny noticed that Sam had turned off the computer and was now looking around the room, as if attempting to assess the damage._

"_You okay, Sam?" he asked, concerned that she'd gotten hurt during her small struggle with Technus just prior to his arrival._

"_I'm fine, Danny," she reassured him. "Just a little sore where he grabbed my wrist is all."_

_Danny took the slightly bruised wrist in his hand and, before he really knew what he was doing, kissed it gingerly. Sam drew in a breath, surprised by his action. It was one of the awkward moments of tenderness often shared between friends of the opposite sex, in which they both feel that they can be more than friends, but let all the implications associated with that realization convince them it will never work. Sam knew that this tenderness had existed within him all along, but he rarely expressed it, at least with her._

_Her mind whirled as his soft lips traveled up her arm. She gazed into his green eyes as they changed to blue, indicating he was once again Danny Fenton. He at last broke eye contact with her, only to kiss her cheek. A moment later, his lips met hers, completely eclipsing them in a short, but sweet kiss._

_She could sense that he wanted more, but he backed off after she recoiled instinctively, having been caught off-guard by his forwardness. Seeing his concern that he had gone to far, she grinned at him to convey her pleasure, appeasing him. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever before being interrupted by the computer instructor, who had come in to investigate all the commotion. He nearly fainted when he saw all the damage._

_As the instructor launched into a series of questions, trying to avoid using an accusatory tone, Danny and Sam looked at each other; his secret was still safe. They made a point of providing vague answers, yet somehow the teacher seemed satisfied with their explanation. But that didn't mean they would get off that easily- both were assigned to a month of detention, temporarily replacing their study hall period._

_Danny returned to his fifth period class, while Sam was sent to the school nurse as a precaution to have her wrist examined. Danny was permitted to escort her there before going back to class, and as he left the office, he smiled at her, his bright blue eyes glittering mischievously. And then he was gone._

"_No, Danny, don't leave me," Sam found herself crying. "Don't ever leave me..."_

_

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**Pleasereview if you want me to keep churning out the chapters frequently! Thank you in advance.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to all my reviewers. A special note about this chapter: Sam's grandma does not known that Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom are two facets of the same being. She just knows that Danny Fenton somehow pops up in time to save Sam (almost) every time she is in trouble.**

**And now for the disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of its characters. Nor do I know any of Musiq's songs or lyrics.**

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Sam awoke with a start from her dream, a flashback to her kiss with Danny the previous Friday. She actually caught herself smiling as she recalled the kiss. It was so spontaneous, just part of why it was so passionate, brief and innocent as it was. In spite of herself, Sam longed to feel Danny's lips on hers again.

The young woman sighed as she slowly sat up, contemplating what to eat for breakfast. At that moment, there was a soft knock on the door, one attributed to her grandmother exclusively.

"Come in!" she called.

Her grandmother opened the door, holding a tray loaded with whole-wheat toast smothered with grape jelly, a bowl of oatmeal, and a glass of soy milk. She carried the food over to Sam and handed it to her. Sam patted the bed, and the elderly woman sat next to her.

"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked.

"A lot better. My head doesn't really hurt anymore, and I haven't felt dizzy since yesterday afternoon," Sam responded. "Thanks for bringing me breakfast. At least someone in this house still cares," she sighed, referring to her parents only dropping by her room to nag her about something trivial.

"You're welcome. And you know your parents love you. They just don't quite know how to express it. They forget they were once kids themselves, and quite rebellious ones at that. The things you have done pale in comparison."

Sam raised her eyebrows at this. "Really? What kind of stuff did they do?"

"Well... let's just say they weren't always the uptight, conservative businesspeople you know. Your father went through his punk rock phase in the 1980s, and your mother loved the whole leather, lace, and runny eyeliner look. The two of them together could have gone through an entire case of hairspray in a week or two, depending on how many entertainment venues they attended."

Sam chuckled at the thought of her mother and father as teenagers in the 80s, and her grandmother couldn't resist joining her.

"Now, dearie, how are things with you and that Fenton boy?" the older woman asked out of the blue.

Sam nearly choked on her toast. "Uh, fine, why do you ask?"

"I may not have a college education, but I've been around long enough to know young love when I see it," her grandma explained, causing Sam to blush. "You kissed him, didn't you?"

_Well, it's easy to see where I get my blunt nature from, _Sam thought. "How did you know that?"

The older woman smiled knowingly. "Again, I've been around enough to figure out these things. And the color in your face betrays you."

"Yes, we did kiss," Sam confessed. "But it doesn't matter. He likes someone else. He probably just caught up in all the emotions, especially because I played the submissive role and let him rescue me for once," she explained, lying through her teeth about everything but Danny's crush on Paulina.

"Now, we both know that's not true. I see how he squires around you. He is such a lovely young man; I doubt he would play with your emotions like that."

"But even if he does like me, it's not like he'll ever tell me."

"Sam, dear, do not let that belief fool you. You may think his kiss was meaningless, but it said more than any words could. It may sound cliché, but actions do indeed speak louder than words. And perhaps he fears that if he were to say anything, he will not elicit a positive response from you. As much as I love you, I must say that you can be quite standoffish at times. That can work in your favor, but is quite the obstacle when it comes to love."

Sam sighed longingly. "Okay, I will admit it. I like Danny.. a lot. Maybe I even love him. But even if he feels the same way, is it really worth risking our friendship for such a frivolous endeavor? We're only fourteen, but even in our teenage logic, we know deep down that puppy love doesn't last."

"But love is tricky; all the logic in the world cannot always explain it. You must think with your heart, not just your head. I know you are afraid, Sam, but if you don't want to lose him, you must make a move. It seems easy to let him come to you, but you have always been a young woman resistant to conventional methods. You must keep in mind that he may be a brave, strong young man, but he is only human. Even heroes need rescuing sometimes."

With that, Sam's grandmother left the room to let her finish her breakfast. As Sam ate her oatmeal, she thought about what her grandma had told her, especially what she said last. _She's right_, the young woman thought. _I can't expect Danny to do everything for me. I'm always ragging on him and Tucker for treating females like weaklings, so the least I can do is own up to my feelings for him, instead of doing the damsel-in-distress thing when a ghost comes along. I may not have ghost powers, but I know how to operate a lot of his parents' ghost-hunting gear._

Sam's thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Picking it up off the nightstand, she saw that it was Danny.

"Hey Danny."

"Good morning, sunshine," Danny greeted her. She could tell from his voice that he and Tucker were probably laughing as he said it. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better. Hopefully I'll be back to school in a couple days," she responded. Normally she'd make a snide remark, but the conversation she'd just had with her grandmother had made her finally see Danny in a different light, as someone with whom she could actually see herself romantically involved.

Sam's heart went aflutter at the thought of dating Danny, and her face was again awash with crimson. She started to zone out, thinking about their kiss and what it would be like to be kissed by him again...

"Hello? Sam?" Danny's voice echoed in her mind, bringing her back from the far reaches of her imagination to the present.

"Uh, yeah, I'm here. Hey, shouldn't you be in class now?"

"When's the last time you saw the clock, Sam? It's snack break already. I didn't wake you up or something, did I?"

"Oh, no, you didn't. I guess I just slept a lot later than I thought."

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to see if you're okay, and ask if you need anything."

"I'll be fine. My grandma checks on me a lot, and I can always call my parents at work. Not that I'd want to," she snickered, "but I can if I need to."

"Okay, well, Tucker and I will drop by after school to visit you and give you your assignments. But right now I have to get going. The bell just rang, and you know how Mrs. Selva is about tardiness."

"Okay, thanks for calling. See you after school. And tell Tucker I said hi."

"Sure thing, Sam. Hope you feel better."

"Thanks, Danny. I love you. Bye."

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**Thanks in advance for reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Greetings from chapter eight! Thanks again to all my reviewers. I am not sure how much longer the story will be in terms of chapters, but hopefully just a few more (I'm guessing 2-4). I'm planning to introduce the second verse of the song on which I based the story in the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of its characters, nor do I own Musiq's lyrics or songs.**

**Enjoy!**

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Danny was so shocked by what Sam said last that he nearly dropped his phone. Even his last math test didn't leave him as confused as he was now. Part of him wanted to jump up and shout, "Yes!" But another part of him wondered if it was a trick, if Kitty had found Sam and possessed her again. But whether it was the real Sam or not that had just admitted her love for him, he couldn't deny his happiness at hearing it, evident in the toothy grin that creased his face.

"Hey, how's Sam?" Tucker inquired of Danny, who was still in his own little world. "Danny? Earth to Danny!"

"What, Tucker?"

"I asked you how Sam was."

"Oh, uh, she's wonderful."

"Dude, what got into you? You're usually depressed at the end of lunch, knowing that Ecology awaits you."

Danny whispered to Tucker what Sam had just told him, and it took all Tucker had in him not to have a cheerful outburst; had they not just walked into class, he might have done a jig.

"It's about time," he whispered back.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked, even more puzzled now than he was a moment ago.

"Duh! Are you really that naive? She's only loved you, like, ever since you became a halfa. She liked you before that, but something about the accident made her fall in love with you."

"How the heck did you know that?"

"Well, she told me. But even if she didn't, it's pretty damn obvious how she feels about you. There are plenty of people out there who don't know what I do, yet they can see she loves you. And they can see you love her, too."

Danny felt he should say something, but he was at a loss for words. He could neither accept nor deny his love for Sam, as he was now beginning to question just how platonic their friendship really was.

"So do you?"

"Do I what, Tucker?"

"Do you love Sam, genius," Tucker sighed as he and Danny took their seats.

Danny had no time to respond, as the teacher entered at that moment and promptly instructed the class to put their books away, as she was going to administer a pop quiz. The class groaned as she began to write the questions on the board.

"Man, that quiz was a killer," Tucker griped to Danny after school.

"I know, Tucker. You said the same thing at lunch. Plus, I took the same one, remember? The quiz wouldn't have been so hard, had you actually bothered to do your homework."

"Look who's talking!" Tucker exclaimed. "Since when did you care about hitting the books?"

"Since my parents threatened to ground me from watching TV, playing music, hanging out with you and Sam, or talking on the phone at all during Spring Break if I didn't pull up my grades."

"Ooh, that's harsh."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"Well, anyway, back to our conversation earlier."

Danny gulped. "Which one?"

"The one about what Sam said to you. So what's the deal? Do you love her or not?"

"I don't know," Danny confessed. "I have to admit that I've liked her for some time, but I always thought that she was never too interested in dating, especially in dating me. But when we kissed, that all changed. Yes, I initiated it, but it's not as if she didn't get into it at all. I just... I don't know what to do, Tucker."

"Well, she told you she loves you, so why not tell her how you feel."

"But I don't know if I love her."

"Well, even so, the least you could do is tell her that you like her. I think you owe her that much. Trust me, even after you kissed her, she's just as confused about you as you are about her."

"The thing that bothers me is that I don't know how long Kitty has been back from the Ghost World. What if she was overshadowing Sam when we kissed? And what if the same thing happened today, when Sam told me she loves me? I'm afraid, Tucker. Afraid to pour my heart out to her, only to find out Kitty was behind her behavior the whole time."

"Well, you'll never know if you don't try. Even if Kitty is the cause, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I could lose her as a friend."

"Trust me, Danny, you won't. I may not know much about love... okay, anything about love. But I know Sam; even if the attraction weren't mutual- which, believe me, it is- she wouldn't just walk away from you. If you expect to find out her real feelings, which could easily be the very same she admitted earlier, you have to tell her yours."

Danny pondered what Tucker said. He knew he was right, but admitting his feelings was such a scary prospect. It didn't cease to amaze Danny that he could fight ghosts like nobody's business; yet, when it came to matters of the heart, he found himself cowering.

_You just have to do it,_ Danny told himself. _You have to tell her today. There's no turning back, Fenton._

"I'll do it," he resolved.

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**Please review! Thank you in advance!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome to chapter nine! Enjoy! And thanks to my reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, in whole or in part. I also do not any of Musiq's songs or lyrics.**

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Sam awoke from a nap around 2:45, and smiled when she realized that Tucker and Danny would arrive any moment. She got up to brush her hair, but her limbs felt heavy, as if weighed down by some unseen force. A strange feeling overtook her, and she felt as if she wasn't herself anymore. She heard a vile laugh in her mind just before all went black.

"Ah, yes, now is the time," Kitty hissed from inside Sam's body. "With that Fenton boy on his way here, I can give my greatest performance. Samantha will be so rude and unattractive to him that he will realize her affection was a sham. And after I get through manipulating him, he will be so disgusted with her that he will come running into my arms. Entering his ghost form will only make him less able to resist me. And I will show that Johnny not to mess with my heart once and for all."

Kitty heard the doorbell and put her plan into action. She went to Sam's closet and put on the most frumpy outfit she could find, then blasted hot air from the hair dryer onto random places on the girl's locks, leaving them disheveled and full of static. She then smeared makeup sloppily onto Sam's face. She finished just as Sam's grandmother knocked on the door and informer her of Danny and Tucker's arrival.

Kitty looked in the mirror through Sam's amethyst eyes at her awful appearance. "Perfect," she grinned slyly before leaving the room and going downstairs to greet her company.

Danny and Tucker both looked up in anticipation upon hearing footsteps on the staircase. And both nearly went into shock when they saw how absolutely ridiculous Sam looked.

"What happened to you?" Tucker promptly asked, as he was never one to beat around the bush.

"What are you talking about, geek boy!" Sam sneered.

"Sam, are you okay?" Danny asked, surprised by her attitude.

"That's Samantha to you," she snapped.

_Wait a minute, _Danny thought, as Tucker opened his mouth to respond. _She hates being called Samantha. Either she's having some strange relapse, or else..._

"Tucker, wait!" Danny shouted. "Kitty overshadowed Sam again!"

"Very smart, Fenton. I'm impressed," Kitty laughed in her own voice. She phased out of Sam, leaving the girl standing there in a perplexed state, with no memory of what had just transpired.

"Going ghost!" Danny shouted. A surge of power shot through his body, and he morphed into his ghostly alter-ego. "Tucker, lead Sam to the couch in the family room and have her lie down until she comes out of her trance. I'll take care of this."

Danny shot a blast of ectoplasm at Kitty, but missed when she turned intangible. The two flew in circles around the foyer, alternating between attacking and dodging each other.

"Stop!" rang out a voice from near the front door.

The two watched in surprise as Johnny phased through the door and materialized in front of Kitty, who by this time had stopped chasing Danny.

"What are you doing here!" she hissed.

"I came to apologize," Johnny admitted. "Please hear me out."

"Fine," Kitty said, her feet now touching the ground and her arms crossed over her chest in annoyance.

"I just wanted to tell you that I've missed you ever since the moment you left me, but I was being too macho to admit it to you. I never really liked Ember- I was just using her to get back at you for when you got back at me. You are the only one for me, and it took a certain halfa to make me realize that," Johnny confessed, looking at Danny out of the corner of his eye as he got down on his knees before Kitty. "But now that I know, I never want to mess things up between us again. I love you and you alone. Will you please take me back?"

As he spoke, he clearly crumbled the wall that Kitty had put up in resistance to him. After he finished speaking and stood back up, she rushed into his arms and smothered him with kisses.

"I love you, too," she proclaimed, as Danny looked away in disgust. "Of course I'll take you back."

"Then come on babe, let's blow this popsicle stand," he said, taking her hand.

They both phased through the wall, and Danny flew to the window to watch them leave. The ghost couple got on Johnny's motorcycle, and he revved it up quickly. And, just like that, they were gone.

Danny sighed, but any relief he felt was immediately replaced with concern, as he remembered that Sam and Tucker were in the other room. He returned to his human form and quickly checked on Sam's grandmother, who had fallen asleep in her bedroom, seemingly unfazed by all the commotion just moments before. Danny rushed into the family room, only to be met halfway by Tucker.

"Thank goodness I found you," Tucker said breathlessly. "Sam fainted a moment ago, and hit her head."

"Call 9-1-1!" Danny shouted.

As Tucker took out his cell phone and hurriedly dialed, Danny ran over to Sam's limp body, sprawled across the floor near a coffee table. He checked her pulse and breathing; both had ceased.

"No!" Danny cried, all the pain in his heart spilling over into his voice.

Despite his panic, Danny managed to collect himself long enough to aid her. He pulled up her shirt and hesitated when he saw what was underneath, but shook off his embarrassment and began to administer CPR. Tucker returned a moment later and aided Danny by stabilizing Sam's head.

As he switched between mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions, tears welled up and began to sting Danny's eyes. They rolled off his nose and splattered onto Sam's face and chest. "Please, let her be okay," he prayed aloud, still sobbing. "Please. I know I ask for too much sometimes, but right now, I just want my friend back."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello out there! I apologize for the long and agonizing wait (trust me, it felt that way to me as well). But before I go off on a tangent about that, here is the conclusion of the story. I hope all of you have enjoyed it, and a big thank you to all of my faithful readers and reviewers. I should also be updating my other DP story, Love Charade, soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Danny Phantom series, any of its characters, or any of Musiq's lyrics or songs.**

**Thank you again, and enjoy the final chapter!**

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Sam woke up in a strange bed later that afternoon, surrounded by medical equipment. "Danny?" she whispered, still very weak and woozy.

The halfa appeared at her side immediately. "Sam, thank goodness, you're alright," he said, taking her hand and kissing it gently.

"What happened?" Sam inquired, using up what little strength she had in a wasted attempt to shift into an upright position.

"Shh, calm down, Sam. Just lay back and relax," Danny soothed, letting go of her hand long enough to fluff her pillows and guide her back down to the bed to lie amongst them.

"I want to know what happened."

"Don't trouble yourself with that right now, sweetie," her mother piped up from her place at Danny's side. "Just worry about getting your rest."

Sam looked around and noticed that her dad was also in the room. She could hear Tucker's voice from the hallway, and wondered who he was addressing. When the doctor arrived a moment later, she was still trying to clear her head.

"And how are we feeling, Ms. Manson?" he inquired in a friendly voice.

"I've had better days."

"Can you describe your symptoms to me?"

"My head hurts like crazy. I'm a little dizzy, and my vision was blurry at first, but it seems to have cleared up again."

"Nothing unusual for someone that took such a hit to the head. You did indeed suffer a minor concussion, but it's nothing a couple more days' bed rest can't fix."

"More bed rest?" Sam complained. "This whole rest thing hasn't been working out too well."

"Well then I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but yes, more bed rest. You'll need to spend the night here just to make sure, but after that, you can go home, provided you continue to improve."

"How soon before I can go back to my normal life?"

"It depends, but we're looking at about 3-5 days of little or no activity, and probably a couple more missed days of school after that. So figure roughly a week at most, again depending on how you progress."

"Ugh, just wonderful," Sam rolled her eyes.

"Oh, feeling chipper aren't we?" the doctor quipped with a smile. "Don't you worry. You're fortunate that your youth allows you to bounce back easily. Well, that's about all for now. I'll check on you once more before bedtime. Until then, only one visitor at a time. Is there anything you need before I depart?"

"No, doctor. Thanks. Oh, wait, can you just send Danny in here please?"

"Of course, Ms. Manson."

Danny entered after the doctor left, carefully closing the door behind him so as not to make too much noise. "You rang, Madame?"

"Very funny, Danny. I want to talk to you."

Danny sat in a chair at Sam's bedside and looked her right in the eyes. "What's up, Sam?"

"Well, about the other day, when I said that I love you. It sort of slipped out, but I meant it. I just didn't mean to say it at that time."

Danny blushed and looked away. "Funny you should bring that up, because there's something I need to tell you, Sam. I... I love you, too."

Sam didn't know what to say. All she could do was smile softly. She reached out her hand to touch Danny's cheek, and he took it and kissed the back of it.

"You know, when we kissed, I was really confused," Danny confessed. "I figured we both just got caught up in the moment. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that there really is something between us. Too bad everyone else knew it before we did. Or before I did, anyway. This is all just so... weird to me, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it."

Sam grinned as Danny rubbed her arm affectionately. "So where do we go from here?" she asked.

"Wherever you wish," he smiled back. "Whatever makes you comfortable."

"Well, in that case, I never did thank you for saving me again..."

Sam grinned slyly as she pulled Danny to her and kissed him forcefully. They continued on for a moment or two, completely absorbed in each other. Danny finally broke the kiss to catch is breath.

"I have another confession," he said. "After I realized that Kitty was overshadowing you, I thought maybe our first kiss was because of her. But you just confirmed to me that it was all you, and that's a big load off my mind."

Sam sighed longingly. "I can't blame you for worrying. I had no idea what was happening to me, because after she left my body, I would black out. The memories are finally coming back to me, but very slowly. But I do remember our kiss very clearly. Not like I could ever forget it. I love you, Daniel Fenton."

"I love you, too, Samantha Manson," Danny smiled, kissing her forehead. "When you got hurt, I was so scared, and I prayed to get my friend back. But now I know for sure that I don't want to be just friends anymore."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and one of the nurses entered. "Excuse me, Ms. Manson, but visiting hours are over."

Sam looked lovingly at Danny. "Visit me later?" she mouthed.

"You betcha," he mouthed back, squeezing her hand affectionately before bidding her good-bye.

A few hours later, Sam awoke from her sleep as she felt herself enveloped with cold air. She opened her eyes just in time to see Danny turn tangible again after phasing through the wall.

"Hey there, Ghost Boy," she whispered, a broad smile creasing her face.

"Hey, you. Ever kissed a ghost before?" Danny asked, returning her smile.

"Not that I know of, but there's a first time for everything."

Danny floated over to Sam's bedside, and they started where they'd left off earlier. As they kissed lovingly, Danny realized that he was actually completely crazy- for Sam.

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**Please review! Thank you so much in advance!**


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